A free internet is a powerful thing. It can make the world a better place by
giving everyone an equal voice.
That includes people who are downtrodden by their governments, silenced by their communities, or economically disadvantaged. So long as the internet offers
freedom of expression
around the world, we all have a platform from which to speak.

But the internet
doesn’t stay free by itself.
It takes a commitment from individual citizens, businesses, and governments to protect the internet from censorship. That’s where the
Declaration of Internet Freedom
comes in.

The declaration is an international movement to defend internet freedom, available in 70 languages and supported by many of
the biggest names on the internet.
Signatories include Chinese artist and activist
Ai Weiwei,
World Wide Web inventor
Tim Berners-Lee,
and Reddit co-founder
Alexis Ohanian.
The declaration is also supported by
Access Now,
Amnesty International,
Fight for the Future,
and many more digital rights defenders.

A reminder to governments: We’re watching you

The declaration was created in 2012, when
dangerous censorship bills
like the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA) were fresh in the minds of internet users. Both of these attempts to curb online expression were defeated by
impressive online activism.
And many people, including the folks behind
Save the Internet
and the Free Press, knew that
more attacks on our digital rights were inevitable.

They need to know that they're being watched, so that they can no longer try to conduct things behind closed doors, with special interests.

So the Free Press drew up the Internet Declaration to show governments and lawmakers that
we won’t accept a censored internet.
“They need to know that they're being watched,”
said
Free Press campaign director Josh Levy, “so that they can no longer try to conduct things behind closed doors, with special interests.”

This short declaration isn’t carved in stone

The Internet Declaration is a
deliberately short and open
document, designed to provoke debate in online communities. “Let’s discuss these principles—agree or disagree with them, debate them, translate them, make them your own and broaden the discussion with your community—as only the Internet can make possible,” says the
website.

Here’s the full text of the
Internet Declaration:

We stand for a free and open Internet.

We support transparent and participatory processes for making Internet policy and the establishment of five basic principles:
Expression:
Don't censor the Internet.
Access:
Promote universal access to fast and affordable networks.
Openness:
Keep the Internet an open network where everyone is free to connect, communicate, write, read, watch, speak, listen, learn, create and innovate.
Innovation:
Protect the freedom to innovate and create without permission. Don’t block new technologies and don’t punish innovators for their users' actions.
Privacy:
Protect privacy and defend everyone’s ability to control how their data and devices are used.

The Declaration of Internet Freedom gains momentum

Just two months after its launch in summer 2012, the declaration had already been
signed
by 1,500 organizations and 50,000 people from more than 130 countries.

Internet users also
answered the call to translate and spread the document
around the world. In July 2012, the volunteer language community Global Voices ran a
24-hour marathon effort
to translate the declaration into as many languages and dialects as humanly possible. By 2016, it had been translated into
70 different languages.

Sending a powerful message

The Declaration of Internet Freedom isn’t like other online activism groups. There’s no single goal, nor is there a defined plan of action besides
spreading the message
and gathering as many signatures as possible.

Even still, the declaration sends a powerful message to people in power. It’s a
statement of the expectations of global internet users,
which tells governments and regulators:
We refuse to accept anything less than a free, uncensored internet.
And it’s a reminder that we’re ready to make a strong protest, just like we have before, if they try to take away our rights.

The declaration is also a way to
nail your flag to the mast of internet freedom.
Take a read at
www.internetdeclaration.org
and decide for yourself.